From today’s Joplin Globe (emphasis is mine):
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Despite a nearly 12 percent decline in state revenue, Missouri lawmakers ended the legislative session without approving many of the moneysaving ideas they had proposed.
Lawmakers considered budget fixes that stretched from revamping the state’s pension system to closing prisons. Some of the proposals were even added to the state’s $23.3 billion budget.
Only a few of the dozens of ideas were approved before the session ended Friday. Senate leaders said many legislators still don’t realize how much trouble Missouri is in financially. They said many of the hard budget choices were left in the governor’s lap.
Gov. Jay Nixon said he expects to announce additional budget cuts within the coming weeks.
He has said that more than $500 million needs to be trimmed from budget he originally proposed in January, because of a drop in revenues and uncertainty over federal funds.
The budget passed by legislators appeared initially to have fallen just short of that $500 million target. But because they failed to pass several bills whose savings had been assumed in the budget, that gap is growing instead of shrinking.
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